Thursday, June 21, 2012

Blackberries, Blueberries, Dewberries! Rural Thursday

The only thing we've ever picked at the berry patch before is strawberries.  But this year I really wanted to try my hand at other types of berries.  So the boys and I piled into the mouse infested minivan and headed to the berry patch.  In season right now are blackberries, blueberries, and dewberries.

Look how huge the blackberries were.  Not all of them were ripe yet, but there were plenty for the picking.

Dewberries are like small blackberries.  They are more tender and have a subtle taste.  I really enjoyed them.

The blueberries weren't quite ripe yet.  Oh, we found a few, but not as many as I'd hoped for.

Most of the ones we found seem to have disappeared into little tummies.

Blueberry!

Evidence that nothing was going into their buckets:
 Now this?  This was MY bucket.  I worked hard to fill it up with blueberries, dewberries, and raspberries.  Once we got home I made muffins, cobbler, and a jam.  I am happy to say that my jam set up just right this time.

It's Rural Thursday!  Time to link up your stories of the rural life (or your wishes of one) with myself and Nancy from A Rural Journal.  Everyone is welcome.  Just copy the code below the button and paste it into your blog post.  Then come back and add your webpage to the linky.  Please be sure to visit the blogs of 5 other participants and leave them some comment love!

42 comments:

Tweedles -- that's me said...

All those berries look so good! It will be a while until we have raspberrys or blackberrys, but we do have strawberrys now!
love
tweedles

Unknown said...

Lovely and summery pictures.
Have a lovely Day!

Eva

Anonymous said...

Looks like you caught the berry thief "red-handed!" Your jam looks delicious!

Buttons Thoughts said...

Your kids must make you smile ear to ear everyday they are so adorable and you are a great Mom who takes them on awesome adventures. I am so glad you share these moments. B

andy said...

Looks like the boys are pros!!! Think of all yhe yummy stuff you can make! !! Have a great day

Unknown said...

I think eating them at the patch is the best!

Barbara said...

How fun!! When my oldest goes berry picking more end up in his stomach than in the basket.

Dimple said...

Every child has a "tummy bucket" that gets filled first!

carol l mckenna said...

Yummy jam I bet made from fresh berrries! ~ Children are beautiful in your awesome photo shots! ~ thanks, (A Creative Harbor)

Eat To Live said...

That jam looks great. One of these days, I am going to try making jam with xylitol. Not sure how it will turn out.

Judy said...

Fun, I love berry picking. I've never had dewberry.

Taylor said...

Looks like they had lots of yummy fun!

Tanya Breese said...

oh i want to try and make some jam...i am lol'ing at the "evidence" :D

Marie said...

Really cute summer pics! I LOVE blackberries! Blackberry cobbler is my favorite. I never know when to stop when eating it. :)

TexWisGirl said...

those little boys are so cute. :)

Betsy Banks Adams said...

Hi Lisa, I'm afraid that many of those berries would end up in my tummy also... BUT--glad you had enough for some muffins, cobbler and jam... YUM..
Hugs,
Betsy

Anonymous said...

I love these berry picking shots! The boys are so cute.

Jamie Oliver (@va_grown) said...

We moved a wild raspberry plant from the woods over to the edge of our porch. It grows like crazy, but we keep it trimmed back. We get enough berries to enjoy picking and eating, but not enough at any one time for a recipe or anything. It's fun.

Tina Fariss Barbour said...

The jam looks wonderful--such a beautiful color!

I remember picking blackberries on our farm when I was growing up. Definitely half of what I picked ended up in my stomach.

Sandy said...

LOL...mouse infested minivan. My mouth is watering just from the sight of that jam....it looks heavenly!

Brian King said...

LOL! I can see why buckets were not getting filled! That's not nearly as much fun as snacking along the way. Adorable shots!

Leovi said...

Excellent photos, pick strawberries, a job well done.

Candy C. said...

How fun that you guys have a place like that to take the kids!! :)
I LOVE all the empty buckets the boys are carrying around! LOL!!

LB @ Bullets And Biscuits said...

We are the opposite of you guys right now...I picked 12 lbs of blueberries last weekend but our blackberries are not ready yet. I haven't canned a darn thing yet but my fingers are itching too!!

Kranky Granny said...

A great outing for the children. Boy, do I remember the work that went into making all that jam and freezing those berries when I was old enough to help in the kitchen at home.

Carletta said...

This is the second post with blackberries today and mine haven't quite ripened yet. :(
I know my little granddaughters last summer ate everything they found.
Cute post!
You jam looks wonderful!

Becca said...

Wow that is really awesome! I've always wanted to go apple picking :)

The Farmers Daughter said...

The berries made my mouth water. Looks like it was a lot of fun, too. The boys will remember times like that. . .
Thanks for hosting!
Dru

jp@A Green Ridge said...

Glad the jam set up right this year, Baby Girl! I found a few wild black raspberry bushes right her in our yard!!! I've been eating them daily...shhh...don't tell the Pres!...:)JP

Debbie said...

you really are the fun mom and those boys could not be any cuter!!

good thing someone was doing more picking and less eating....

Amy Burzese said...

Your boys will remember berry picking for a long time! You all stay so busy. I bet the jam is great!

Nancy said...

That jam is gorgeous! The boys are so cute -- one for the pail, and two for me! :)

Mary said...

Lisa, Oh my goodness, the berries. Your boys are learning to pick (eat) and work in the berry patch! So cute. I just joined your followers, right behind my sis. I just saw her icon when I signed on. We have both been with Nancy, now here we are again. Thanks for the berry lovely post. (I couldn't help that.) Mary

Chatty Crone said...

You guys keep so busy with the most interesting things. sandie

Michaele said...

I loved this post. It reminded me of one of my favorite children's books Blueberries for Sal.

Chicken Wrangler said...

What a cute story, and so glad the cubs tummies were not empty at the berry farm! Jam looks great! Our black raspberries are ripening now and I have picked 2 pints - no wonder they are so pricy at the store - lots of thorns to battle, and our berries are the wild kind - not very large!

Jen said...

There is nothing better than fresh picked berries!
And your jam looks awesome :)

Valerie Boersma said...

Your jam is beautiful! I love the color!

I picked 3 strawberries yesterday, and soon my raspberries will be ready. Hopefully there will be enough for jam. I remember buying blackberries a few years ago and they were so huge that only a couple fit in the palm of my hand. Made me wonder what kind of fertilizer was used!

As always, your boys are so cute!!

Debby@Just Breathe said...

I want to do that. I think our apple farms have some berries now!
What a fun time you had. I have never had a dewberry, blackberries are my all time favorite!

Anonymous said...

Marvelous shots! :-)

Anne Payne said...

That looks like such fun! I might have had an empty bucket too ;) I love berries!

warren said...

We tried growing dewberries last year. Wife's grandparents have great memories of sneaking out and eating dewberries...